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Much has been said.

This can be considered as being written out of sheer frustration at what I’m feeling right now.

Teaching is not a lowly job. Teaching is not just the low-paying job which requires you to slave away for hours, as described by the ignorant. Teaching is not a job which you can be ashamed of in the presence of your office-worker. Okay? The cliché phrase that goes “teaching is the most noble job” or something that goes like that, for me is mostly true.

Yes, corporate jobs are hard; yes, jobs involving technical knowledge and all are hard. But teaching is not easy as well. It’s hard but valuable because you’re doing with more than just blueprints, reports or money. You’re dealing with a person’s life. A child’s life. A life which, if you teach and manage well, can grow up into a person who will actually contribute to the country. And somehow, when you think of it, correct and proper raising of a child is so much more valuable than all the millions of money you can amass in your lifetime. Because when did money become more important than people?

I know we had a lot of bad teachers, but in the case of teaching, a rotten apple doesn’t spoil the whole. In spite of the efforts of various organizations such as the Metrobank Foundation, a lot of good teachers go on and do their work unrecognized. Not because they need recognition, but because it’s what’s right. Because it’s what’s necessary. Because it’s what’s going to be the best for their students. I’m sure you had a teacher like that as well.

So no, thank you, we don’t need your recognition and your approval in order to continue doing our work. Have you ever heard of internal motivation? 🙂 And besides, it’s God’s approval we only want to seek. That, and the unspoken approval that our students give us whenever they turn out a person better than the day before.

To the teachers out there, you’re doing mighty fine 🙂 As the Chinese would say, 加油! God bless you 🙂